Once upon a time, in a mysterious kingdom, there lived a powerful witch named Morgana. She was known for her dark magic and ability to cause chaos wherever she went. The villagers lived in fear of her and dared not to cross her path. In the castle of the kingdom, there was a major domo named Edward. He was a trusted servant and had been with the royal family for many years. Edward was well-liked and respected by everyone around him.
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Their terms frequently ended in death, often due to taking bribes, being double-crossed, execution or even murder, after drawing the ire of the Hutt master. Arianna Sophie Sparrow Prima Donna Josi Ann Ellem Composer Bernadette Johns Zerbinetta Kathleen Nic Dhiarmda Dancing Master Liam Bonthrone Tenor Ryan Vaughan Davies Wigmaker Jacob Phillips Music Master Will Pate Officer Samuel Kibble Lackey Wonsick Oh Major Domo Michael Ronan.
Edward was well-liked and respected by everyone around him. He worked tirelessly to ensure the smooth running of the castle and the comfort of the royal family. Despite being different in nature, Edward and Morgana had a strange connection.
Boulezian
Arianna – Sophie Sparrow
Prima Donna – Josi Ann Ellem
Composer – Bernadette Johns
Zerbinetta – Kathleen Nic Dhiarmda
Dancing Master – Liam Bonthrone
Tenor – Ryan Vaughan Davies
Wigmaker – Jacob Phillips
Music Master – Will Pate
Officer – Samuel Kibble
Lackey – Wonsick Oh
Major Domo – Michael Ronan
Jane – Bernadette Johns
Agnes, Troll 3 – Julia Portela Piñón
Interrogator 1 – Wonsick Oh
Interrogator 2 – Ryan Vaughan Davies
Wandering Minstrel, Executioner – Will Pate
Sarah, Sun Witch – Sophie Sparrow
Little Miss Manifest, Troll Mum – Nina Korbe
Green Death Witch – Kathleen Nic Dhiarmada
Troll 1 – Marcus Dawson
Troll 2 – Samuel Kibble
Polly Graham (director)
April Dalton (designs)
Jake Wiltshire (lighting)
Hayley Egan (video)
Ensemble singers and actors
Royal Academy Sinfonia
Ryan Wigglesworth (conductor)
| Sarah (Sophie Sparrow) Image: Craig Fuller |
Commissioning a new opera for its 200 th anniversary, and then staging and performing it with such excellence, are laudable things for the Royal Academy of Music to have done. If only, alas, the world premiere of WITCH, music by Freya Waley-Cohen and libretto by Ruth Mariner, had shown us a superior work than it did. The problem lay at least as much, probably more, with Mariner’s libretto, weirdly devoid of dramatic intent, let alone achievement, but it would be difficult to make claims for Waley-Cohen as a musical dramatist either.
What is WITCH ‘about’? A bullied teenage girl alone in her bedroom, save for a giant rabbit (I don’t know either), finds solace and ultimately takes action through discovery of a coven of witches on the Internet. Despite attempted disruption by a group of online trolls, they manage to cast a ‘penis hex’ on the world—shouting ‘Hex in the City!—which (here, I quote the programme) ‘aims to cleans the world of toxic masculinity and goes viral’. Meanwhile, another story is sketched—barely sketched, let alone anything more—of a sixteenth century Scottish witch; it may have been discovered by the teenagers online, or may have been referred to entirely independently. That was not clear (at least to me). As the late Anna Russell might have said, ‘I’m not making this up, you know.
The problem is not the worthy intent; doubtless these are issues that could, indeed should, be treated dramatically, though whether an opera is the best place to do so may remain an open question. Perhaps a documentary or, indeed, one of the TikTok-style videos screened in Polly Graham’s inventive, often brilliant staging would be a better place to start. (I remain unsure whether casting a ‘penis hex’ is the most obviously efficacious remedy, but what do I know?) There is little or no attempt to create character, still less character development. There is no dramatic grit, let alone ambiguity. It is essentially a school assembly talk writ large, feeling as though it goes on for ever, though it actually extends for ten minutes or so more than an hour. Waley-Cohen’s contribution has some of what one might consider to be the essentials: different sound worlds for the two centuries, which begin to collide (far more so than in the preachy libretto); a keen ear for musical process, albeit one that struggles, perhaps understandably, to align itself dramatically; and a definite move towards culmination as the ‘hex’ is cast. Set against that, there is likewise little in the way of musical characterisation; vocal writing is often ungrateful to no evident end; and the dramatic function of the orchestra, though vividly present, remains uncertain throughout. I suspect something less inert could have been made out of this, but a series of workshops combined with a few periods of reflection and revision would have been necessary.
Ryan Wigglesworth led the excellent Royal Academy Sinfonia in an incisive account, as well paced as the work would permit. Pulsating with colour, it had me wonder whether an orchestral piece, perhaps with film, might have been a better option. The orchestra was certainly put through its paces, having earlier given a bright-eyed account of the Prologue to Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, albeit one in which Wigglesworth sometimes seemed a little too inclined to follow the singers, lessening dramatic tension. Given with a wonderful, preceding performance of Monteverdi’s Lamento d’Arianna, directed from one of three theorbos by Elizabeth Kenny with great understanding and infinite flexibility, it was unclear what either was doing alongside WITCH. Connection in general mistreatment of women seemed implied, but surely the Opera rather than the Prologue would have made that point better. (There were doubtless musical reasons for not attempting that.)
It was also surprising that no real attempt seemed to be made to connect Monteverdi and Strauss. Graham’s direction of each taken in separation had much to commend it, save the strange, distracting cries (‘witch’-like?) emitted at one point by Ariadne’s companions in the Monteverdi. The Lament was otherwise focused and powerful, due in no part to Sophie Sparrow’s stylish and richly expressive performance. Strauss proved full of incident, a cue to plenty of character creation (retrospectively showing up its successor all the more), though there was considerably less in the way of Hofmannsthal. In that connection, some dialogue was delivered so deliberately that translation into English would probably have been the better option. The flashing screens and general stage incident of Witch went a long way to contribute interest otherwise lacking, signs of what might have been—and, who knows, may still be.
As a showcase for young singing talent, this triple-bill achieved more. Sparrow did much to engage our sympathy not only as Arianna but also as Sarah who became a Sun Witch. Her counterpoart Kathleen Nic Dhiarmada (Green Death Witch) presented an unusually sympathetic Zerbinetta, having us engage with her as a human being rather than metadramatic cipher. (This was, after all, only the Prologue.) Bernadette Johns’s Composer, if sometimes lacking in verbal accuracy, likewise engaged us keenly in her character’s emotional trials, the production’s feminist idea here seeming to be that this was actually a woman in trousers, rather than a ‘trouser role’. It was impossible to know how the rest would have turned out, but Will Pate’s Music Master, Liam Bonthrone’s Dance Master, and Ryan Vaughan Davies’s Tenor all suggested great promise for the Opera that never came. Pate and Johns, moreover, suggested greater emotional depth as the sixteenth-century pair of Wandering Minstrel and Jane than otherwise emerged from Witch. In truth, almost every sung performance impressed. If only half the dramatic material had been stronger…
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They both had a deep understanding of the power they possessed and the responsibility that came with it. Edward knew that in order to keep peace in the kingdom, he had to maintain a cordial relationship with Morgana. One day, an unexpected event occurred. The village was under attack by an army of evil creatures summoned by Morgana herself. The villagers were in a state of panic and sought refuge in the castle. Edward, being the major domo, took charge of the situation and ensured that everyone was safe within the castle walls. While the chaos raged outside, Edward knew that he had an important role to play. He needed to find a way to stop Morgana and end the chaos she had unleashed. He knew that defeating her would be the only way to restore peace in the kingdom. Drawing upon his knowledge of the castle and its secret passages, Edward devised a plan. He would use his wit and intelligence to outsmart Morgana and bring an end to her evil reign. He gathered a team of loyal servants and together they set out to confront the witch. After a fierce battle, where Edward and his team had to face Morgana's dark powers, they managed to defeat her. Edward used his knowledge of the castle's defenses to find her weaknesses and exploit them. With Morgana defeated, peace was finally restored to the kingdom. Edward's bravery and cunning were celebrated by the villagers, who now saw him as a hero. The gratitude they felt towards him was overwhelming. Edward became a symbol of hope and resilience, and his story was passed down through the generations. In the end, it was Edward's understanding of Morgana's powers and his determination to protect the kingdom that saved the day. The unlikely connection between the major domo and the witch proved to be the key to their victory. They both had a role to play in the destiny of the kingdom, and together they brought about a new era of peace and prosperity..
Reviews for "The Miss, the Major Domo, and the Witch: A Conspiracy Unveiled"
1. John - 1 star
I really didn't like "The Miss the Major Domo and the Witch". The storyline was confusing and hard to follow, and the characters lacked depth. I couldn't connect with any of them, and their motivations seemed unclear. The writing style was also not enjoyable; it felt disjointed and filled with unnecessary details. Overall, I was disappointed with this book and wouldn't recommend it to others.
2. Amanda - 2 stars
"The Miss the Major Domo and the Witch" had an interesting premise, but it fell flat for me. The pacing was slow, and there were too many subplots that didn't contribute much to the overall story. The biggest issue I had was with the characterization. The main characters felt one-dimensional, and their actions didn't always make sense. Additionally, the dialogue was stilted and unrealistic. I struggled to stay engaged with the book and ended up feeling let down by the end.
3. Sarah - 2 stars
I was excited to read "The Miss the Major Domo and the Witch" based on the reviews, but it didn't live up to my expectations. The writing style was overly descriptive, making the story feel slow and tedious. The world-building was confusing, and I often found myself having to reread passages to understand what was happening. I also felt that the romance aspects were forced and lacked chemistry. While there were some intriguing ideas, they weren't executed well enough to keep me invested in the story.